LARGE LOBE PIERCINGS

Most ear piercing studs are approximately 18ga in thickness. Using a stretching taper is the easiest method to test how far the piercing can be stretched safely. Usually standard ear lobe piercings can be safely stretched to 16 or 14ga.

Lobe piercings can be stretched quite easily. However, the stretching process should be a gradual one. Stretching too soon or too fast can cause the piercing to tear or stretch unevenly.

The size of your lobe and how close the piercing is to the bottom edge will determine how far you can stretch an existing piercing. If the piercing is too close to the edge of the earlobe to be stretched to the desired size a new piercing may be placed above the existing piercing without compromising the strength and elasticity of the earlobe.

If your earlobe has not been pierced and you desire an ultimately large piercing the piercing should be placed centrally by visualizing the earlobe as a circle or oval.

Most piercers do not perform piercings larger than 10 or 8ga. Piercing needles slice a crescent-shaped hole and do not remove tissue. The larger the needle, the more exaggerated the crescent shape of the hole. Some piercers will use a large needle and immediately stretch the piercing to the next gauge. However, this method may cause excessive tissue damage if the piercing tears at the corners of the crescent rather than stretches throughout.